So where did the term “flea market” come from? 

After years of being involved with them, I’d never honestly thought about it. 

 I did some browsing online and discovered an article, which offers a few options.  However, it’s still shrouded in speculation.  Check out the article   if you’re interested—it’s certainly a bizarre story.

That being said, flea-market season has begun!  Hoody hoo!  Yes, I know some of you live in warmer climates, but in the frozen northland of the Midwest, thaw-time is flea-time. 

Minnesotan junkers are stir-crazy by April.  You can walk through the same aisles at the same antiques stores just so many times before the proprietor starts to get suspicious.  Just looking…just looking…. Sigh.  Just gotta see the junk and remind myself it’s out there.

Every year about this time I start planning my first big junking adventure.  Last year one of my favorite trips included junking in four states in two days.  It’s a true junking tale for the ages.

My destination was Coleridge, Nebraska.  My tour guide, Cammie, lives in the area and knows where all the good junk is.  (It helps to find a local junker to introduce you to the coolest spots.)

The Treasure Shed
+click to enlarge

My plan was to drive from Long Lake, Minnesota, meet Cammie in Watertown, South Dakota, get a good night’s sleep, and be fresh for two solid days of junking.  Of course, I couldn’t resist a few stops along the way.  In Hutchinson, Minnesota, I purchased a groovy wood box with a retro ashtray at Antiques-To-Go. The Treasure Shed had portable sheds in the front parking lot filled with junk, a yard out back with more junk, and a huge store with multiple dealers. I was already loading up and my trip hadn’t officially started!

The drive from Hutchinson to Watertown is a bit desolate.  But I knew the moment I had hit South Dakota when the brightly colored flags and signs announcing ‘fireworks for sale’ popped out of the farmland.  Radio stations were few and far between, so when I found a local polka station (1150 AM) playing “Papa the Old Accordion Man,” I had to smile and sing out loud.

Cammie and I met up that evening at the motel to discuss our plan of attack for the next two days so we could be as efficient as the back roads would allow.  Since many of the places we would visit are not your typical retail haunts, we needed to call ahead.  JUNK BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!

Zirbes
+click to enlarge

We arrived at our first appointment at 8 a.m., coffee in hand.  Clarence, 88 years old, has been selling antiques and junk for quite some time out of his aging storefront, Zirbes, and the adjacent buildings in Castlewood, South Dakota.  He knows his business but is fair with his prices.  He admits he bought much of his inventory many years ago when the price was right.  I was amazed how organized his junk was…shelved, categorized, and almost completely price tagged.  I felt privileged to have access to his breathtaking collection of primitive furniture, ornate architectural salvage, and curious finds that came with fascinating stories.

Like many older antiques dealers, Clarence has his antiques business and buildings for sale as he is considering retirement.  In most cases, there are plenty of takers for these extraordinary inventories but few that are willing to take over the real estate and actual business in these deserted towns.  I had to pace my purchases! This was just the first stop on our journey and we only had so much room in the truck.

We were already running late to our second appointment and had to find a hill where our cell phones worked.  We called the post office in Iroquois, South Dakota, and asked if they’d run across the street to tell Nila we were on our way.  They were happy to help.  Nila, like Clarence, is considering selling her shop. 

Ki and Nila
+click to enlarge

Nila’s shop was overflowing with the most unusual mix of smalls including plastic Tupperware, glass snack trays, doorknobs, and vintage jewelry.  When asking for prices I noticed most everything was 25 cents (if I bought in quantities.)  I could have spent days examining the shelves and didn’t feel completely satisfied when we had to move on.  I was sure I had missed so much.

Road trips such as this require meticulous planning when it comes to cell-phone service, fuel, food, and restrooms.  All of these are in very limited supply.  I recommend ordering the small coffee as you begin your journey.

Passing farm equipment more often than cars as we drove, Cammie gave me the lowdown on our next stop: Junker Dave’s.  Unlike our first two appointments, this was to be a more rural experience.  She told me her story of meeting Dave.  He had mentioned he was looking for a rooster to hang with his chickens, and on Cammie’s next visit, she graciously brought him a rooster from home.  Dave was grateful, but his wife not too happy about the rooster’s early morning wakeup calls.  (Not sure if that helped or hurt our negotiating powers.)

Junker Dave's
+click to enlarge

It was miserably hot and windy when we pulled up to the Junker Dave’s.  Abandoned cars in the fields, piles of iron waiting to be scrapped, a deserted silo, chickens, dogs, and a vintage hearse arriving on a flatbed certainly added to the junking ambience.  After picking through the outdoor piles, we headed into the barns to find them just as intriguing.  Road signs, suitcases, buckets of car window cranks, and door handles…hmmm… wonder what I can make out of these…. typewriter keys, cow tags, iron beds were just a smattering of Dave’s stash.  I was now wishing I had brought a trailer.

This journey is but half finished, so stay tuned, junkers!  The thrilling climax of this story concludes in May. Action…adventure…excitement…Nebraska…this tale’s got it all.

Also, our new book, Junk Beautiful, is available for sale. Hit up www.junkmarketstyle.com for our book tour stops.

Get out and enjoy a flea market in your neck of the woods and enjoy some junk.  Create your own junking stories, but check back next month for the conclusion of mine!